how to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid …...blocked drains stop waste water from leaving...

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How to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid blocked drains and the flooding of your home Advice for domestic consumers

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Page 1: How to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid …...Blocked drains stop waste water from leaving your property. When waste water backs up it can come out of the toilet or sink, flooding

How to dispose of your

waste responsibly,

avoid blocked drains

and the flooding of your home

Advice for domestic consumers

Page 2: How to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid …...Blocked drains stop waste water from leaving your property. When waste water backs up it can come out of the toilet or sink, flooding

Blockages and Sewer FloodingThousands of homes across Englandand Wales suffer disruption and unpleasantness caused by blockeddrains and sewer flooding each year.It can be a foul and costly experience,which is easily avoidable.

Three quarters of sewer blockages arecaused by people putting items theyshouldn’t down toilets or drains, andhalf of sewer flooding incidents arecaused by these blockages.

Drainage pipes are usually four inchesin diameter and are only designed tocarry water, human waste and toilettissue. When other items are flusheddown the toilet they can get lodged inthe pipe and build up a blockage.

Blocked drains stop waste water fromleaving your property. When wastewater backs up it can come out of thetoilet or sink, flooding your home.Consumers spend millions of poundsevery year clearing blockages fromhousehold drains.

Flushing inappropriate items down thetoilet and sink may also block thepublic sewer, disrupting your neighbours. Water companies spendaround £15million a year clearingblockages from public sewers. Thesecosts are paid for by all customers intheir sewerage bills.

Who owns which pipe?A DRAIN is a pipe that carries foulwater, rainwater, or both from thebuildings or land on one property.

Drains belong to the owner of theproperty they are connected to, evenif they go under someone else’s landor a road. The owner is responsiblefor fixing their own drains.

A SEWER is a pipe that carries foulwaste, rainwater, or both from morethan one property.

Sewers often run along several prop-erties or towards the road. Most areowned and cared for by the local sew-erage company.

Private sewers are owned and need tobe maintained by owners or occupiersof the properties connected to them.

Contact your sewerage company tofind out if your sewers are publicallyor privately owned.

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Page 3: How to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid …...Blocked drains stop waste water from leaving your property. When waste water backs up it can come out of the toilet or sink, flooding

What not to flushThe drains connected to your homeare only designed to carry water,human waste and toilet tissue.

People sometimes put other productsdown the toilet or sink which can snagin the pipe and cause a blockage.Even items that appear to have thesame texture as toilet paper (such ashand wipes) may not break down ifflushed down the toilet.

Some items which should not beflushed include:

� Fat, oil or grease, which will harden even if put down the sink with hot water or soap.

� Waste food or garden waste� Nappies and nappy liners� Sanitary products � Plastic bags and wrappers� Needles and syringes� Old clothing and rags� Plaster or cement � Condoms� Paper handkerchiefs� Multipurpose wipes� Cat litter � Cotton wool, cotton pads and

cotton buds� Paint and paint thinners

It can be very difficult and expensiveto remove some of these items because a contractor may have to digdown to the pipe to extract them.

Disposing of items responsibly� Anything other than toilet paper

should be put in the bin. � Some companies provide free

‘fat traps’ to stop fats, oils and grease from getting into drains. Contact your local water and sewerage company for details.

� Some local councils provide aseparate food waste bin, for the disposal of fats, oil and grease.

� Paint and paint thinners should be taken to a rubbish tip or recycling centre.

Water and sewerage companies pay tounblock public sewers and removedangerous chemicals, but the costsare passed on in customers’ bills. Bydisposing of waste responsibly we canall help to keep sewerage bills down.

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Page 4: How to dispose of your waste responsibly, avoid …...Blocked drains stop waste water from leaving your property. When waste water backs up it can come out of the toilet or sink, flooding

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Head office:

Consumer Council for Water

Victoria Square House

Victoria Square

Birmingham B2 4AJ

Website: www.ccwater.org.uk

What to do if you have ablocked drainWhere is the blockage?It can be difficult to locate a blockagein a pipe. If your neighbours are alsoexperiencing slow drains or water isbacking up, the blockage could be inthe public sewer. Call the seweragecompany to check. If this is the case,it is their job to clear it. If the seweris privately owned, or the blockage isin your property’s drain pipe, clearingit is the homeowner’s responsibility.

If the blockage is in your drainsYou will need to hire a drainage con-tractor to clear it. Check your insur-ance policies to see if you are coveredfor blocked drains. If you are a ten-ant, your landlord may be responsiblefor clearing a blockage in the pipe.

Do you have shared drains?Some properties may share drainswith their neighbours, for example, ina block of flats. If one drainage pipeserves more than one property, all arejointly responsible for the pipe.

Your water and sewerage companycan tell you if your property is connected to public or privatelyowned sewers and give further adviceon what can, and can not be put intoilets, sinks or drains.

Where can I get more advice?The telephone directory lists contactdetails for local drainage contractorswho can give advice and details ofcosts in clearing blocked drains.

Your local council can give advice onhousehold waste collections in yourarea, and can clarify which items canbe collected for recycling.

The water industry sponsors a websitepromoting responsible waste disposal:www.bagandbin.org

Visit www.ccwater.org.uk for more information or call the ConsumerCouncil for Water on 0845 039 2837